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OVERVIEW
Minnesota Historical SocietyAnderson, Eugenie M. (Eugenie Moore), 1909-1997,
creator.Eugenie Anderson papers.circa
1910-2013.Correspondence, office files, speeches, reports, clippings,
sound and visual materials, and miscellaneous papers document Eugenie Anderson's
diplomatic career as ambassador to Denmark (1949-1953), minister to Bulgaria
(1962-1964), lecturer in India (1961), and member of the United States delegation to
the United Nations (1965-1968); her political activities, including Democratic
national committee work in 1948, her campaign for DFL endorsement for the United
States Senate in 1958, her support for Adlai Stevenson and Hubert Humphrey during
their presidential campaigns of 1952 and 1968, and her fact-finding mission to
Vietnam in 1967; and such related public affairs activities as her work for the
Minnesota Centennial Commission in 1958 and her involvement in organizations
promoting educational programs abroad.26.8 cubic feet (27 boxes). See Detailed Description section for
shelf locations.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Eugenie Moore Anderson was born in 1909 in Adair, Iowa, the daughter of Flora Belle
Moore and Methodist minister Ezekiel Arrowsmith Moore. In pursuit of a musical
career she studied at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and at Simpson College
in Indianola, Iowa. In 1929 she transferred to Carleton College in Northfield,
Minnesota, where she met John Pierce Anderson from Red Wing, Minnesota. They were
married in 1930 and moved to New York City, where Eugenie continued her musical
studies at the Institute of Musical Art and John pursued his art interests. Several
years later the couple returned to live at Tower View, the Anderson family farm in
Red Wing.

In 1944 Eugenie Anderson became active in Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
(DFL) politics, having previously worked with the League of Women Voters, served on
the local school board, and participated in other civic organizations. She was
especially interested in problems of international affairs and gave many speeches
under DFL auspices on the United Nations and foreign policy matters. In 1948
Anderson was elected Democratic national committeewoman and a Minnesota
delegate-at-large to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia; there she
campaigned actively for Harry S. Truman and Hubert H. Humphrey.

In October 1949 President Truman appointed Anderson United States Ambassador to
Denmark; she was the first American woman to serve as the chief of a mission abroad.
While ambassador she was also chosen as United States representative to the third
session of the United Nations Ad Hoc Commission on Prisoners of War, which convened
in August 1952. Later that year Anderson additionally spent several weeks
campaigning for United States presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson and was a
principal speaker at the Democratic National Convention. When she resigned from her
ambassadorial post in January 1953, Anderson returned to Red Wing with the Grand
Cross of the Order of Dannebrog, Denmark's highest honor, awarded to her by King
Frederik IX.

From 1953 to 1962 Anderson travelled and lectured throughout western Europe, India,
and the United States as both private citizen and official representative for
various government bodies. In 1957 she toured the Iron Curtain country refugee camps
in Europe as a member of the Zellerbach Commission. From 1959 to 1961 she served as
a board member of the American Association for the United Nations, a board member of
the U.S. Committee for Refugees, and a member of the Democratic National Advisory
Committee on Foreign Policy. From 1961 to 1962 Anderson served as vice chairwoman of
the Citizens' Committee for International Development.

Minnesota government and the DFL Party tapped her skills as well during this period.
From 1955 to 1960 Anderson chaired the Minnesota State Commission for Fair
Employment Practices. In 1957 Governor Orville Freeman appointed her chairwoman of
the Minnesota Centennial International Guests program. In early 1958 Anderson
challenged Eugene McCarthy for the DFL endorsement in the United States Senate race
but was defeated. Yet she continued to take an active role in party politics,
especially working to strengthen Hubert Humphrey's political base in and outside
Minnesota.

In 1962 Eugenie Anderson was named American Minister to Bulgaria by President John F.
Kennedy, thus becoming the first American woman to serve as chief of a diplomatic
mission in a Soviet bloc country. She served in this post until December 1964.

From 1965 to 1968 Anderson accepted several appointments as part of the official
United States delegation to the United Nations in New York. In August 1965 she was
chosen to be United States representative to the United Nations Trusteeship Council;
eventually she was elected president of this body. In July 1966 Anderson also became
alternate United States representative to the United Nations Security Council. In
1967 President Lyndon B. Johnson sent her to Vietnam to observe the progress of the
Revolutionary Development Program, a large-scale political and social stabilization
effort.

Between 1968 and 1972 Anderson began to relinquish her official United Nations
responsibilities. She returned to Minnesota and campaigned intensively for Hubert
Humphrey, both for president in 1968 and for United States senator in 1970.

Eugenie and John Anderson had a son, Hans Anderson; a daughter, Elizabeth Johanna
(Anderson) Ghei; and six grandchildren.

The above sketch was taken from the papers; Who's Who in
Minnesota (1958); and Who's Who of American Women,
third edition (1962).

Use and Reproduction: Copyright in the transcript of
the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library oral history interview with Eugenie Anderson
was donated by Anderson to the Kennedy Library. Quotation or publication beyond
the fair use provisions of the copyright law requires the written permission of
the director of the Kennedy Library. The transcript may not be copied or
duplicated in any way without the permission of the director of the Kennedy
Library.

A sound recording of Anderson's speech Minnesota and the Atlantic Community (1955) is
cataloged separately in the Minnesota Historical Society sound and visual
collection.

CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the
Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics,
persons or places should search the catalog using these
headings.

Eugenie Anderson's career as United States Ambassador to Denmark from 1949 to
1953 is documented by several sets of files suggesting the variety and
complexity of her diplomatic responsibilities abroad.

144.B.11.6F1Copenhagen Office Files,1949-1953:

Correspondence and press clippings reveal the nature of the
ambassadorial appointment process. Other clippings and wire service
memos from both American and Danish newspapers show differences between
American and foreign journalistic coverage of Anderson's diplomatic
career. Foreign service orientation instructions, background data on the
Danish government and economy, and embassy staff meeting notices provide
information on Anderson's work schedule. Detailed lists of embassy
parties and notes on attendance likewise illustrate the busy social
schedule required of her as chief of the diplomatic mission.

The Copenhagen Correspondence Files are alphabetically arranged and
cross-referenced, reflecting not only Anderson's foreign policy
interests and responsibilities but also her efforts to maintain close
ties with national Democratic and state DFL colleagues. Correspondence
includes constituent statements of support for her positions on foreign
and domestic issues, invitations to speak at a variety of functions, and
requests for employment or recommendations for employment.
Correspondents of note include Hubert H. Humphrey, with whom Anderson
exchanged many letters containing detailed political analysis; national
Democratic committeewoman India Edwards, a close friend and political
ally who wrote to Anderson about political matters in Washington; Hans
Hedtoft, Prime Minister of Denmark; and Ralph A. Snavely, Brigadier
General, U.S. Air Force, chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group
in Denmark. Some correspondence is in Danish.

The Copenhagen Miscellaneous Files consist of typed Anderson family
newsletters rich in detail about life in the embassy, 1949-1951;
correspondence from Eugenie Anderson's son and daughter to relatives in
Minnesota, 1950-1951; and a diary kept by Eugenie Anderson in 1953 while
she toured Europe at the conclusion of her official duties in
Denmark.

These files represent fifteen years of Eugenie Anderson's public affairs
career following her diplomatic service in Denmark, which had won her
national and international recognition not only as the State Department's
first American woman ambassador but also as an advisor in matters of foreign
policy planning and negotiation.

Correspondence and printed items, largely for the period from 1953 to 1964,
reflect her involvement in state and national Democratic committee work as
well as her political appointments to such positions as chair of the
Minnesota State Commission for Fair Employment Practices (1955-1960), board
member of the American Association for the United Nations (1959-1961), and
vice-chair of the Citizens' Committee for International Development
(1961-1962).

Anderson also lectured and travelled extensively during this period. Her
files, along with annotated desk calendars, provide information on
Anderson's seven-month tour of the Far East and India in 1961, her periodic
visits to Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and numerous speaking engagements
on behalf of international organizations and foundations. Her diplomatic
service in Bulgaria (1962-1964) is documented elsewhere in the collection.

The Red Wing Files at the beginning of this series represent the first filing
system Anderson used for her papers after leaving Denmark and moving back to
Minnesota. All other materials in the series reflect a later but more
complete filing arrangement. Frequent correspondents in the papers include
Hubert H. Humphrey, whom Anderson supported during each of his campaigns for
United States senator and for President; India Edwards; Orville L. Freeman;
and William (Bill) Roll, former public affairs officer for Anderson at the
American embassy in Copenhagen and a close family friend.

Doris Louise (Tullar) Heller (1910-1994) was an early Democratic
Party activist and close friend of Anderson. The two maintained an
extensive set of correspondence throughout their lives. Doris
returned Eugenie Anderson's letters and Anderson noted that they
should be a part of her files at the Minnesota Historical Society.
Doris was married to Dr. Benjamin Irwin Heller, M.D. (1916-1994).

Correspondence, questionnaires, and literature on a housing and
employment survey conducted by the League of Women Voters among Red
Wing household workers to determine needs to better improve working
conditions.

State Department reports and briefings, ministry staff records,
correspondence, detailed Anderson family newsletters, and other items cover
Eugenie Anderson's service as diplomatic chief of mission in Bulgaria.

Of special note in the papers are Anderson's reports for the State Department
regarding incidents or visits with Soviet and Bulgarian officials in Sofia
as well as her long, descriptive newsletters home about life behind the Iron
Curtain.

Texts of Eugenie Anderson's speeches, background reference files, lecture
tour itineraries, and correspondence regarding speech invitations make up
this series of papers. Included are speeches made while Anderson served as
ambassador to Denmark and diplomatic chief of mission in Bulgaria. Other
speeches relate to Anderson's support for Harry S. Truman in 1948, Adlai
Stevenson in 1952, and Hubert H. Humphrey in 1968 for the presidency.

Additional speech topics in the papers include the United Nations and its
programs, U.S.-Soviet foreign relations, women in foreign affairs, and women
in politics.

Mainly speech texts, occasionally speech notes. Includes mimeographed
text of The Negro in America Today, given before the Arbejdernes
Oplysningsforbund in Denmark (January 16, 1952).

Speech texts: Minnesota and the Atlantic community,May 11, 1955.Includes several drafts of the speech and a transcript of the
speech as given.

Speech delivered to the 106th Annual Meeting of the Minnesota Historical
Society; discusses the economic, political, social, cultural, and
military factors which have united America with the countries of Western
Europe, and stresses the importance of keeping these ties intact.

An audio recording of this speech is cataloged separately in the
Minnesota Historial Society sound and visual collection.

The political files reflect Eugenie Anderson's active lifetime involvement in
Minnesota DFL and national Democratic politics. Earliest memos, press
clippings, party officer and delegate lists, and miscellaneous items refer
to the Minnesota and national Democratic conventions of 1948, as well as the
campaign activities of the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), a liberal
self-avowed anti-Communist organization supported by Anderson, Hubert
Humphrey, and others.

Later files document Anderson's DFL Senate endorsement campaign in 1958, her
work with the Minnesota centennial planning committee the same year, and her
fact-finding trip to Vietnam in 1967 as President Lyndon Johnson's
representative.

The papers also provide information about Anderson's involvement in Hubert
Humphrey's presidential campaign in 1968. The campaign policy drafts and DFL
statement on foreign policy suggest her special interest in Humphrey's
political strategies for solving international problems.

The 1970 Humphrey campaign file consists of editorials about Humphrey's
candidacy for the United States Senate.

Eugenie Anderson's personal correspondence is arranged chronologically and
includes both family letters and a variety of career-related letters. The
earliest correspondence chiefly consists of letters from family and friends
about personal matters. Chief correspondents include Jean and Frank Chesley
of Red Wing, Mary and Charles Biederman of Red Wing, Louise Sargent of
Haverford, Pennsylvania, and Julie Ross of Des Moines, Iowa.

Personal correspondence files for the period after 1960 resemble Anderson's
miscellaneous office files in that the correspondents include political
colleagues, associates in foreign service posts, and numerous people
requesting her participation in organizational activities in the United
States and abroad. Frequent correspondents are India Edwards, Vivian Meisen,
and Mrs. Carroll Binder.

144.B.12.4F15Letters received by Anderson while stationed in Copenhagen,1951-1952.Approximately 400 folded letters, envelopes, and letters in
envelopes.Correspondence,1951-1953.6 folders.Miscellaneous correspondence,1960-1966.6 folders.144.B.12.5B16Miscellaneous correspondence,1964-1968.9 folders.Personal and Miscellaneous Files144.B.12.5B16Chapters of proposed book, Mrs.
Ambassador.Requests for autographs,1966-1967.Christmas card list.CARE,1966.Congratulations,1965-1966.Deiches (lease on N.Y. apartment,1965-1968.Institute of International Education,1965-1967.

United Nations organization promoting educational programs abroad.

Invitations,1968.Overseas Education Fund of the League of Women Voters,1965-1966.

Promoted worldwide education about problems and functions of government
and responsible citizenship.

Roussev, Dino,1966-1967.

Bulgarian refugee assisted by Anderson who relocated in Greece.

Television and radio interviews,1966.Wilson College,1965.Official travel,1965-1966.United Nations Association of the United States of America,1965-1966.

A nonpartisan, privately supported research and education group which
promoted fundamental bases of peace with justice.

Souvenir of luncheon in honor of the Duke of Edinburgh,1966.153.I.16.12F27Obituaries and news reports of Anderson's death,1997.Biographical and genealogical data,1956-1989.2 folders.Grand Cross of the Dannebrog Order: Clippings and data,1953-2013.Interviews with Berlingske Tidende,1983.Draft of Virginia Lanegran's Eugenie Anderson chapter for book on
women in Minnesota history,1975.Correspondence with Ann Miller Morin concerning biographical
sketch,1987-2009.Correspondence with President Lyndon Johnson,1964-1968.Johnson letters are photocopies.Correspondence with Harry and Bess Truman,1964-1973.Truman letters are photocopies.Correspondence with George Kennan,1968.Photocopies.Correspondence with Carl Solberg,1981-1983.Eugenie Anderson report on Democratic National Convention,1948.Photocopy.Personal notes on meeting with President John F. Kennedy before
leaving for Bulgaria,May 1962.Exhibition at Anderson Center honoring Eugenie Anderson,March 30, 2000.1 videodcassette (VHS).Materials relating to and transcript of John F. Kennedy Library
oral history interview with Eugenie Anderson conducted by Larry J.
Hackman,1973-1988.

Restricted. Copyright in the transcript
was donated by Anderson to the Kennedy Library. Quotation or publication beyond
the fair use provisions of the copyright law requires the written permission of
the director of the Kennedy Library. The transcript may not be copied or
duplicated in any way without the permission of the director of the Kennedy
Library.

Diary and related materials of trip to Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands,1965-1968.3 folders.Diary of United Nations Committee on Decolonization trip to
Africa,1966.Zellerbach Commission materials,1957-1959.148.D.7.1B19Zellerbach Commission scrapbook,1957.1 volume.

Booklets and tracts on public affairs issues, magazine articles and
reprints of magazine articles, and similar materials. Many of the
booklets were published by the United States government and by the
United Nations. Some of the articles are about Anderson.

July 4th speech of American minister given over Radio Sofia,July 4, 1963.1 sound tape reel.July 4th speech of American minister given over Radio Sofia:
Bulgarian version,July 4, 1963.1 sound tape reel.Talk at St. Olaf,March 29, 1974.1 sound cassette.